The present invention relates to an air treatment system for a refrigerated appliance. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air treatment system for a refrigerator having a removable/replaceable/rechargeable cartridge accessible from a refrigerator compartment.
Refrigerated appliances having one or more refrigerator compartments and/or freezer compartments are generally known. It is generally known to provide an air treatment systems for such appliance. Known air treatment systems typically include a purification/filtration element and a fan to force air through the purification/filtration element. Also, known systems are typically are mounted on a wall inside the food compartment of the refrigerator. However, such known air treatment systems have several disadvantages including waste of storage space, limited performance due to inadequate access to air and air flow (especially when the food storage space is relatively full), and having to pass a power cord through the refrigerator wall to power the fan. It is also known to provide a purification/filtration element that uses a combination of titanium dioxide, ultraviolet light, and ozone. However, use of ozone in such a combination tends to degrade or be harmful with the material around it and to food in the storage compartment.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an integrated air treatment system for a refrigerator. It would also be advantageous to provide an air treatment system that is integrated into the airflow upstream or downstream of the evaporator. It would further be advantageous to provide an air treatment system that only treats (e.g., purifies, filters, etc.) a portion of the air passing from the evaporator to the evaporator fan. It would further be advantageous to provide an air treatment system with a cartridge that is accessible from the food storage compartment to be removed, replaced, recharged, repaired, maintained, or the like. It would further be advantageous to provide an air treatment system with purification/filtering element that does not use ozone. It would be desirable to provide for an air treatment system having one or more of these or other advantageous features. To provide an inexpensive, reliable, and widely adaptable air treatment system that avoids the above-referenced and other problems would represent a significant advance in the art.